5 tips for safe trick-or-treating this Halloween

With children across Manitoba getting their costumes ready for Halloween on Saturday, local agencies have come out withtips for safe trick-or-treating.

The Canadian Centre for Child Protection, a Winnipeg-based non-profit organization thatpromotes children's personal safety, has released a resource guide for parents called 5 Habits for a Safe Halloween.

"These safety habits are easy to implement into your family's Halloween routine and create a safety foundation that you can build on year by year as children become more independent," Noni Classen, the centre's director of education, said in a news release Tuesday.

"Halloween is a great time to discuss some of the real-world situations children may face and build up their safety competence."

So what should parents discuss with their kids before Halloween night? Here are the centre's five safety tips:

1. Make a plan.

Plan a trick-or-treating route. Talk with older kids about their plans and remind them to stay in familiar areas with well-lit streets and others nearby. Make sure all children know "safe neighbours" they can go to in case of emergency.

2. Supervise trick-or-treaters.

The centre recommends that parents supervise young children and make plans with older children to check in regularly and return home by a certain time.

3. Buddy up: Make sure kids travel together.

Teach your children about the buddy system and remind them that there's safety in numbers.

4. Remind children to trust their instincts.

Remind children to be aware of their surroundings when trick-or-treating and talk about ways to deal with situations where they may feel uncomfortable or afraid. Options include getting help from a buddy, calling home or going to a safe neighbour.

5. Encourage children to be assertive.

"Teach children to set clear boundaries about personal space. They should never go inside a home while trick-or-treating without checking with you," the centre says.

"If someone approaches them on the street and asks them to go somewhere with them, remind them not to go, run away and tell a safe adult what happened."